Mixed headstamp 223 - Thoughts

[AzDak42]

So thanks to a few buddies and a purchase off one of my other forum regulars, I've come into possession of about 2k mixed headstamp 223/556 brass with another 2k on the way.

Talk about a find! It's all in really good shape, fairly clean and the primers are all removed and it even looks to have been swaged. (My primer pocket uniformer easily passes in all the primer pockets.)

I've never used this sort of brass before... I'd like some validation on what I'm thinking.

45% has WCC headstamps with a wide range of dates. This is very uniform in appearance and the headstamps are all very uniform in layout.

50% is a very wide assortment of LC headstamps. I think I have every era of their headstamps represented, including the most recent that show the nato circle/cross designation.

5% is a mixed bag of TW, RA, RP, PMC, FC etc. All in good shape, but not enough of any to make a designated batch worthwhile.

Here's what I'm thinking

I'll finish cleaning all the WCC and use it to build up my SHTF/Accurate plinking ammo with modest charges pushing 69g S HPBT MKs

I'll separate the LC headstamps by era, and use them for blasting/plinking with the blem 55g Btips

The mixed heastamp stuff, I'll use for some very modest, 55g FMJ pulldowns as pure plinking ammo

Is the LC worth segmenting between the nato marked and non-nato marked? How much difference is there between various years of LC?

Thanks gents - sort of new to this bulk reloading business and I have a lot to learn!

 

[chet]

just load em up and go shoot!
the 223 case is so small, that variations in internal dimensions is minimal.
I'd load them all modestly and have fun!

 

[Elkman]

For me it would depend upon my intended use. I have found POA differences in brands. Its not always significant but my 300 Win mag , is sighted in for WW cases. When I shoot Remington cases it moves an inch to the right. What you might do is load three or four of one kind, use the same load in another brand , and see what happens. One inch at a 100 is not much if you are shooting large game, but if you are shooting small game or small targets much beyond that, its significant.

 

[Mortis]

Mixing brass is not a big deal as long as you understand that some of what you have is military brass.

I just finished loading 700 rds of 223 using new Winchester brass. This was part of a bulk purchase I made from my LGS of 3100+ cases. I had to sort the civilian brass from the military. Missed a couple.

While loading Alliant AR Comp into the civilian cases, the load came to just below the neck. But when the stray military brass was loaded, the powder nearly overflowed.

If a piece of brass has a date on it..... it is military. Those dates are used by the military for rotation and quality control. Also any brass with a circle with a cross inside it is NATO brass from one of our allies.

Sort and load accordingly.

 

[Wincheringen]

LC varies quite a bit by 'generation' as you've already noted. WCC is identical to commercial Winchester cases although I've only tested a few different years, all in the early 90s. FC is usually very close to LC, but because of the generational difference in LC, and unknown years of FC. RP/RA is also very close to WCC and consistent over the years. PMC is pretty good brass, but all mine is from the same lot.

Basically, I'd follow your outline, it looks good to me.

 

[300WSM]

The main thing is visually inspect..and caliper them. Get them trimmed to the same length if they vary. That way you can start fresh so to speak. The variance in external dimension and internal dimension here mean about 100 % of nothing because the variance won't be that much. They might be different mfg cases but they still have to fall within standard specs.

The other thing is you say the primers have been removed. Great. Did they also remove the military crimp? You will know right away if that crimp has been removed...it will look like a chamfer at the edge of the primer pocket.

If this has not been removed then you need to do so. You won't be able to prime them otherwise. You will wind up smashing the primers when you try and seat them.

Scoring brass like that is awesome. Enjoy.

P.S.
If you find you don't need all that brass I could certainly buy some from ya. HA HA

 

[AzDak42]

The other thing is you say the primers have been removed. Great. Did they also remove the military crimp? You will know right away if that crimp has been removed...it will look like a chamfer at the edge of the primer pocket.

It was an even better score than I'd imagined. I was busy cleaning them and hadn't been paying much attention other than sorting them by headstamp and getting them through my tumbler. Looks like whomever was sitting on these for a few decades had taken the time to swage all the pockets. 2k of brass that I don't have to run through that process is even better!

 

[meatmachineman]

From my limited time with 223s so far... sort em. LC is pretty good brass and I sort by date and load them single stage for my tiny varmint rounds. My spray & pray ammo will be loaded on a progressive but I still have them sorted (mild OCD perhaps?). As noted in another post, these are small cartridges and a small change in case wall thickness can have quite an impact on the percentage of case capacity. I still want my spray & pray to be somewhat accurate.

 

[300WSM]

From my limited time with 223s so far... sort em. LC is pretty good brass and I sort by date and load them single stage for my tiny varmint rounds. My spray & pray ammo will be loaded on a progressive but I still have them sorted (mild OCD perhaps?). As noted in another post, these are small cartridges and a small change in case wall thickness can have quite an impact on the percentage of case capacity. I still want my spray & pray to be somewhat accurate.

I have loads of experience with the 223 in ar platforms and I can say you might a bit more than mild OCD...lol...more like full blown OCD. All joking aside the different mfg of cases means zip. The OAL is more important so there is no hiccup when shooting these. Meaning one round that wont chamber because the case needs trimmed. Plus you can always know that the whole lot is ready for trimming or not. Other than that the effect on accuracy is nothing at the self defense, plinking, or just blasting level. I promise you with all guarantees that in a dire situation or just having fun that having different MFG of brass will still mean a good shot

If this was stuff for a match then sure it may matter but then again if this was match stuff he wouldn't be using a mixed batch and would be starting with fresh brand new brass from mfg "x"

 

[meatmachineman]

I have loads of experience with the 223 in ar platforms and I can say you might a bit more than mild OCD...lol...more like full blown OCD.

You might be right! But I'm not limited to ARs. I also shoot a T/C Encore for little whistle pigs and recently put together a bull barreled varmint AR to compliment my carbine. So far, it seems to be shooting as well as the T/C. I guess when I'm shooting at one of those little critters, I want to know that a miss wasn't because of ammo, just my shortcomings as a shooter. A few years back when I started loading for the 223 (before I actually did anything with a stripped lower taking up real estate in my safe), I did not sort my brass. When I had finished charging my cases (individually weighed on an Ohaus... not OCD, just didn't have a thrower set up at the time :wink: ), I peeked in each case to be sure I had charged each one then grabbed a flashlight to make sure I wasn't seeing things... The powder looked like it was coming to different levels in some of the cases... and was. For a spray & pray plinking round I may have let it go, but I did not have an AR at the time. I figured that difference in case volume would = a pressure difference that would also = a different velocity and ultimately a different POI. I didn't bother testing my theory, just made sense to me. Now when reloading, I just the OCD do its thing LOL!

 

[AzDak42]

Wow... I thought decrimping was bad. Bulk trimming with a lathe type trimmer is damned brutal!

 

[Mortis]

Wow... I thought decrimping was bad. Bulk trimming with a lathe type trimmer is damned brutal!

Yeah.... it is a pain!!!!

I have a Lyman trimmer with a drill hooked up to it..... sure makes life easier. :grin:

 

[300WSM]

I have loads of experience with the 223 in ar platforms and I can say you might a bit more than mild OCD...lol...more like full blown OCD.

You might be right! But I'm not limited to ARs. I also shoot a T/C Encore for little whistle pigs and recently put together a bull barreled varmint AR to compliment my carbine. So far, it seems to be shooting as well as the T/C. I guess when I'm shooting at one of those little critters, I want to know that a miss wasn't because of ammo, just my shortcomings as a shooter. A few years back when I started loading for the 223 (before I actually did anything with a stripped lower taking up real estate in my safe), I did not sort my brass. When I had finished charging my cases (individually weighed on an Ohaus... not OCD, just didn't have a thrower set up at the time :wink: ), I peeked in each case to be sure I had charged each one then grabbed a flashlight to make sure I wasn't seeing things... The powder looked like it was coming to different levels in some of the cases... and was. For a spray & pray plinking round I may have let it go, but I did not have an AR at the time. I figured that difference in case volume would = a pressure difference that would also = a different velocity and ultimately a different POI. I didn't bother testing my theory, just made sense to me. Now when reloading, I just the OCD do its thing LOL!

I was only stating the above based on your spray and pray reference. Also there was no mention of any other platform than something that would be spray and pray. Only after I post that you chimed in with the Encore.

Even with using the Encore, there just is not enough of a difference. Look, it won't hurt anything sorting them like that but it just isn't needed.

 

[300WSM]

Load 5 rounds of one mfg.....load 5 rounds of a second mfg....then load 5 rounds mixed.

Shoot them all with equal charge, seating depth, etc.

I would bet money....a lot of money actually that any difference he would see shooting this out of an AR would be nothing more than coincidence.

I have thousands of empty cases from several different mfg's and when I load some up I just grab the next case in line. I'm very picky on accuracy even out of a spray and pray and it has been nothing to turn a quality shot into a lousy shout...whether I was shooting at a chuck sized target or a bigger target, the result of mixed brass has been all acceptable shots.

P.S. yes hand cranking those little bastards to trim them up is a real pain. I'm so glad I have three boys. LOLOLOLOLOL

 

[Huntbear]

So, what you are saying, is "IF" I have 1400 once fired brass that are all Fiocchi or PMC.. just load em and shoot em???? :mrgreen:

 

[300WSM]

So, what you are saying, is "IF" I have 1400 once fired brass that are all Fiocchi or PMC.. just load em and shoot em???? :mrgreen:

First thing is to go play the lottery, because if you are that lucky to have all that brass you should be about ready to win big. LOLOLOLOL

Being serious...absolutely.....fiocchi, pmc, lake city, whatever you have,...get them all the same length if they aren't already and start loading whatever your hand pulls out of your bin, box, or whatever you are storing them in.

You won't have a make or break difference in the accuracy shooting different mfg cases in .223 from an Ar platform. Period!

P.S. load some middle of the road charges in them and those cases should last you a llllloooooooooooonnnnnnnnngggggggggggggg time. 8)